Trump Says He Is Ready to Order Federal Intervention in Chicago and Baltimore Despite Local Opposition

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is prepared to order federal authorities to mobilize to combat crime in Chicago and Baltimore, asserting an obligation to act even as local and state leaders strongly oppose such moves.

Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said, “We’re going in,” when asked about sending National Guard troops to Chicago, but added, “I didn’t say when.” He said the decision was not political, telling reporters, “I have an obligation. This isn't a political thing.” The president said he was ready to deploy federal law enforcement and military assets to the two cities if necessary.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who has been mentioned as a potential 2028 Democratic presidential contender, rejected the idea, saying federal troops and agents were neither required nor wanted in Chicago. Local officials in Baltimore joined Maryland Gov. Wes Moore in voicing opposition to federal law enforcement intervention there.

The announcement follows previous actions by the administration to send National Guard troops to Los Angeles and to federalize a police contingent in Washington. Trump has said he plans similar moves in other Democratic-run cities. A federal judge on Tuesday ruled that the deployment in California was illegal, creating an immediate legal obstacle to one of the administration’s high-profile interventions.

Administration officials have described the moves as efforts to assist local law enforcement in stemming violent crime and restoring public safety. Opponents, including mayors and governors of the targeted cities, contend that federal deployments can escalate tensions, undermine local authority, and displace community-based policing strategies.

In Washington, Trump praised Mayor Muriel Bowser for cooperating with federal authorities there. City and state leaders in Chicago and Baltimore have said they prefer local solutions to public-safety challenges and warned that federal intervention could inflame already tense relations between communities and law enforcement.

Legal experts say federalization and the deployment of the National Guard in domestic law-enforcement roles raise complex constitutional and statutory questions, particularly when state officials object. The Justice Department and the White House have previously pointed to laws that allow federal assistance to states and municipalities at a governor’s request or under specific circumstances when federal interests are implicated.

Democratic leaders have framed resistance in part as a defense of local control. Pritzker reiterated his opposition on Tuesday, saying federal troops and agents would not be welcome. Gov. Moore and Baltimore officials have similarly urged the administration to coordinate with, rather than supplant, local authorities.

The president’s remarks come as crime and public safety remain central themes in national politics, with debates over the proper balance between federal support and local autonomy continuing to play out in courts and city halls. Any concrete federal deployment would likely prompt legal challenges and political fights, particularly in jurisdictions led by elected officials who have said they will not consent to outside forces taking policing roles within their cities.

Trump did not provide a timeline for any orders regarding Chicago or Baltimore, and White House officials did not immediately provide details on the scope or composition of potential deployments. A federal judge’s ruling against the California deployment underscores the legal and political hurdles the administration could face if it moves forward with similar operations elsewhere.